February 21, 2003

M. Squash Faces Yale

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The men’s squash team begins its quest for glory this afternoon, as it competes in the first round of the NISRA national championship tournament. After a stellar regular season, the Red is looking forward to the opportunity to bring home a title.

“Everyone’s playing their best squash of the season, probably of their life right now,” said freshman Matt Greenberg. “It’s going to take [our best] to win this tournament.”

Seeded sixth in the nation, Cornell meets Yale today at 3 p.m. on courts at Penn. The Elis are the third seed and defeated the Red 8-1 during the regular season.

“It’s going to be a tough match,” said freshman William Cheng. “They beat us pretty badly earlier, but we’ve gained a lot of confidence and experience since then. This is winnable.”

Adding to the drama of the weekend is the absence of senior Tim Nagel, who has been forced to the sidelines by illness. Nagel, who had a strong senior campaign, has been an integral part of the resurgence of Cornell men’s squash over the past three years. His consistent play and calm leadership will be sorely missed.

“He’s an All-Star,” said Greenberg.

“It’s going to be rough without Tim because the younger guys are going to have to step up in the back of the lineup,” said senior captain Jeff Porter. “People who have been waiting to play all year are now going to get their chance during the biggest weekend of the season.”

If the Red defeats Yale, it will next take to the courts at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow at Princeton. Should it lose, Cornell will play at 3:30 p.m. The championship match will take place at high noon on Sunday.

Archived article by Per Ostman